


Last One Out of Bright Moon

by Tiredlatenights



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, And Catra as Herself, Based on Last One Out of Beach City, Bow as Voice of Reason, F/F, Glimmer as Ultimate Wingman, Glimmer x groaning, Inspired by Fanart, Inspired by Steven Universe, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Meet-Cute, Minor Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Starring Adora as Repressed Nerd, Steven Universe References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24219325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiredlatenights/pseuds/Tiredlatenights
Summary: Adora, Bow, and Glimmer go to a rock show. They meet a mysterious girl along the way. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 140





	Last One Out of Bright Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Spop fanart](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/621010) by sthefsketches on tumblr. 



> Season 5 ended me ;-; but anyway I saw this spop fanart a while ago that was a crossover between the (expanded) best friend squad and the episode Last One Out of Beach City from Steven Universe. I just adored it so much I decided to write a fanfic inspired by that and based off of the episode (with a slight alteration to the cast).  
> 

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The puzzle pieces bounced back and forth on the coffee table. Adora grumbled, trying to focus on the puzzle that laid before her as she held a piece in her hand. Bow, with his cupped jaw, narrowed his eyes at the scattered pieces that were now dancing off of the table. 

Adora had it and looked up, her brows furrowed. “Glimmer!”

Bow shot her a sympathetic look, before turning to Glimmer. “Do you mind not bouncing so much?”

The other girl was in the corner of their living room and was jamming to some kind of rock music on her Spotify. She landed her final jump with a resounding THUMP, earning her a wince from Bow. There was probably gonna be some explaining to do to their neighbors downstairs. Glimmer giggled sheepishly before she paused the music on her phone and sat back on the couch to catch her breath. “Sorry, I’m just super excited. I’m going to see a show with Mermista and Perfuma.”

“A show?” Bow asked in a posh accent, “Like at the the-a-tre?”

Glimmer’s face deadpanned and Adora snorted. “No. Like at a rock show. With a band! At a house! With a whole bunch of people hanging out and doing stuff!” Glimmer’s eyes practically sparkled as she spoke. 

Adora felt a slight ache in her chest at her words. Glimmer was always off doing cool things and partying — something that Adora could never dream of doing, being on a sports scholarship and all — while she figured that her life was boring compared to hers. Don’t get her wrong, it beat her old school (military academy) any day, but with classes and the softball team (yes, she was a stereotype, sue her) taking up most of her schedule, she barely had the time or energy to have an active social life.

She stared at the puzzle piece she held in her hand, silently wishing she went out for cool things like rock shows too.

Bow’s eyes brightened. “Man, that sounds cool! We have an awesome night planned too!” He glanced at Adora and she glanced back, offering him a small smile. If she was going to have a milder night, she was going to make the most out of it. Besides, Bow would be there to keep her company. He gestured to the mess in front of him. “We’re doing a puzzle.”

Glimmer cocked an eyebrow. “Wow-wee…”

Adora rubbed her arm with her free hand. “I know it sounds tame, but it has 612 pieces and no corners!”

Bow then presented her with a corner piece and retracted her statement. They both sat there disappointed for a brief moment before their phone notifications went off.

_The Rebellion_

_6:24 pm_

_Mermaidsta: hey y’all_

_Flower_girl: Hello everyone :)_

Glimmer noticed the time and cursed from the couch, muttering about how she was late.

_allthatglimmers: yikes I’m still at home_

_I’m so sorry I’m otw_

_But y’all ready for the show??_

_Mermaidsta: not tonight_

_sorry glimmer, but I totally forgot about my plans with Sea Hawk_

The purple-clad girl groaned and slumped in her seat. Adora looked up from her phone and shot her a sympathetic look before another text drew her attention back to the screen.

_Flower_girl: I’m so sorry Glimmer, but I’m afraid I can’t make it tonight either :(_

_I just remembered that I’m volunteering at the Plumeria Botanical Gardens_

_I’m so sorry this is so last minute!!_

She then sent a string of crying face emojis. 

Glimmer groaned again and flopped back on the couch. “Great. Now Mermista is off making out with Sea Hawk and Perfuma’s being her typical plant-loving self, leaving me, alone!”

“Why don’t you just go show-lo?”Bow asked from the coffee table.

Glimmer groaned a third time. Whether it was from Bow’s pun or from the disappointment of her friends flaking out at the last second, Adora could not tell. “I can’t go on my own, that’ll be boring!”

A light flicked on in Adora’s head. Here Glimmer was without anyone to accompany her at a rock show. Without anyone to do something _cool_ with. Which meant that this was Adora’s chance to finally try being the rebel for once.

A small, tentative smile spread across her face. “You could hang out with us tonight.”

Glimmer raised an eyebrow in Adora’s direction. “And do a puzzle?” She let out a dry laugh. “Maybe we could fit in some knitting too.”

Adora felt heat rise in her cheeks. Okay, so she was the opposite of cool, but it was something in Glimmer’s tone that sent determination (or defiance, Adora was not really sure) through her veins. Adora could be rebellious if she wanted to. And tonight, she was going to prove just that. “That’s not what I meant.”

Glimmer lifted her eyes to meet Adora’s in a curious gaze. Wringing her hands together in her lap, Adora decided it was now or never. “We could go to the show… With you…”

Both Glimmer and Bow widened their eyes, and Adora could see him sit up straight out of the corner of her eye. “Really?” he asked, just as Glimmer crawled up towards her and let out an incredulous, “Whaaaaaaa-?”

Adora smiled nervously. _No backing out now!_

Glimmer eyed her skeptically. “ _You_ wanna go to a _show?_ With loud music and people pushing,” she gave Adora a light shove, “each other?”

“I’ve done my fair share of,” she bumped her arm, “pushing.” 

A memory flashed in Adora’s mind. The squeak of shoes echoed off the walls and freshly waxed floors of the gym. Yells of “I got it!” and “Take it, take it!” could be heard across the court. But when Adora had her eye on the ball, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart. She took three steps towards the net and leaped. The ball was in front of her, and she was floating. Then her hand connected, and the loud smack of leather against wood was the last thing she heard before the crowd erupted in cheers.

Glimmer clutched her arm, feigning hurt. “Oooo, I think it’s broken.”

Adora rolled her eyes. “You two just never saw me in action! Breaking every rule, taking on the authorities, living my life on the edge!” Okay, so maybe some of those were lies - she did not break every rule, only a couple, and they were mostly getting into fights (it wasn’t her fault Chad was being such a douchecanoe and picking on some defenseless highschooler). Plus, the only time she took on said authorities was when she got into fights. Other than that, she would never think of setting off the teachers at Horde High.

Her gaze fell onto a tiny piece of blue, and she picked it up and connected it to the rest of the puzzle. “Ooh, a sky piece.”

Bow pumped his fist. “Nice.”

Adora turned her attention to Glimmer. “By the way, how are we gonna get there?”

The other girl groaned for the fourth time that evening. “That’s the thing — if it weren’t for my mom putting a driving ban on me ever since that incident in Elberon, I could’ve driven there myself.”

“Elberon? You mean the time you nearly crashed your car?” Bow added.

Glimmer waved him off. “Anyway, I was gonna uber there, but if you guys are coming with, Adora can drive us.”

Adora agreed to her plan and told them to get ready. Bow pumped both of his fists up into the air and cheered as Adora grabbed her keys. She internally thanked Glimmer for letting her come along instead of just brushing her off and deciding that it was not her scene. Afterall, Adora finally had something on her social calendar other than just lazing around at home watching Brooklyn 99 with the other two. And she was looking forward to it. 

Her internal buzz of excitement was dampened however when she noticed the appraising look Glimmer was giving her. Adora turned to her and pinched her eyebrows together. _What?_

She held a finger up. “Hold on Adora, this is a rock show, not just some regular concert.” She pointed at her, saying, “Before you rock out, you’re gonna wanna blend in.”

* * *

“ _Now,_ you’re looking good.”

Adora gave herself the once-over in the faint reflection of the fridge door and the corner of her mouth quirked upwards in an approving smirk. She looked good — scratch that — she looked _hot._ Tucked into her cuffed grey khakis was her white, long-sleeved mock neck. She topped that off with her ripped, red denim jacket and her red sneakers to match. Clearly, she did not dress herself (she wore athleisure most of the time), and while the vulnerability of letting her friends choose her outfit made her slightly uncomfy, it had been worth it. As she twirled around in her high top converse, she could not deny the fact that she not only looked great, but she felt great. 

She felt bold. 

And tonight? Tonight was gonna be her night.

There was just one more thing she had to do. She reached up. “Oh yes, but I can make it look even better.” Popping the collar of her jacket, she leaned back against the fridge and added, “It’s cool, because the collar isn’t supposed to go that way.”

Glimmer nodded, impressed. “It’s all in the details.”

Bow, who had been scanning through the contents of another fridge, spoke up. “We’re almost set on snacks for the road,” he shook the bag of chips they picked out a few minutes ago, “now we just need beverages.” He swung the door open and pulled out two brightly colored canned drinks. “Strawberry Muscle Monster Energy Shake, _or_ good ol’ fashioned apple juice.” 

Adora wrinkled her nose at the drinks, especially at the strawberry muscle whatever Bow picked out. Anything with that much caffeine and sugar in it seemed like a health hazard. That, and she’d tried Red Bull once. Never again.

So she watched in agony as Glimmer grabbed the radioactive-looking drink. “Definitely Muscle Monster Energy. It turns everything red.” Great, now she had to up her game if she didn’t wanna be a poser. She gulped and forced a smirk. “I’ll have one too, Bow. I think I’ll try drinking tonight.”

If he noticed her nervousness, he didn’t show it. “Wow, really? I didn’t know you liked apple juice.” He handed her the can. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me Bow.”

He exhaled a breath in awe, before asking Glimmer about the band they’re seeing. Adora pushed herself off of the fridge to pay for their items while listening to the conversation. Apparently, they were going to see some dude called Mike Krol. “He’s got that real garage vibe, songs about being nostalgic in the suburbs.”

She retook her place against the fridge door and finally popped the tab off (stupid short nails). Raising the can up to eye level, she set her mouth into a determined line and took a swig of the juice. Once it sloshed into her mouth, icy sweetness hit her tongue and Adora found herself pleasantly surprised at the crispness of the golden liquid. She made a mental note to buy a carton of apple juice on the way back home.

She was about to take another sip when the ding of the doorbell caught her attention. She took a glance at the door, and her jaw dropped. A girl stepped into a store, and wow.

Hottest girl ever.

Maybe it was the hair or the way she padded into the store or her piercing eyes, one blue and one yellow. Adora couldn’t help but let her eyes wander up and down her figure. Black leather jacket, frayed red tank top, ripped jeans, and black sneakers. She looked out of her league with the whole bad girl vibe she was giving off, but still. Adora gaped at her as she passed by the three of them, catching the attention of the other two. “Oh hey! Right there,” Glimmer gestured towards her, “perfect example.”

Bow noticed how Adora was frozen in place and gave her a look of concern. “Adora? You okay?”

His voice snapped her out of her trance, and she blinked before shaking her head. “I… like her style.” She nodded towards the girl, who was adding a sachet of sugar into her black coffee. Bow once told her that you could figure out someone’s personality by how they liked their coffee. She could hear him in her head, saying how the girl is most likely a strong, determined, no-nonsense individual. A woman who knows what she wants. And honestly? That was attractive as hell.

“I wonder where she got the jacket from,” Adora mumbled, to which Glimmer crossed her arms and gave her a knowing smirk.

Bow sent her a smile. “Why don’t you go and ask her?”

Adora’s eyes widened. _No sorry what-_

“Hey yeah!” Glimmer piped in with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “We’re gonna hang out with a bunch of cool people — go do a practice round!”

“Do it! Do it! Do it!”

Adora looked away from both of them, focusing on the mystery girl. Adora knew from past experience that whenever she’s filled with gay panic™, she cannot function properly. Would this time be any different? Probably not, but that was in old Adora’s case. Tonight, she was going to be New Adora, Cool Adora, Push-down-the-knot-forming-in-her-stomach-Adora. She was gonna talk to that girl, so Lesbian Jesus help her.

With a deep breath and a rigid grimace, Adora paced towards the girl and stopped in front of the coffee machine. Standing this close next to the girl made her notice how she smells like strawberries. Great, not only did she look good, she _smelled_ good. Needless to say, it took a lot of willpower for her to not combust on the spot. 

And now that she was standing there stiffly, she didn’t know what to do. How do you start a conversation with a stranger you have a thing for as your friends watch you because you can _feel_ their stares burning a hole into your back? She stifled a groan, willing her brain to work and _think of something dangit_. She snuck a furtive glance at the girl, who was now stirring her sugar into her coffee. Coffee that she could also get and somehow strike up a chat with her in the process.

Except that wasn't going to happen, because as she pulled a cup off of the stack, the rest of the cups came tumbling down with it. She flailed her arms about, desperate to catch the cups but to no avail as they clattered on the floor. The girl had dodged one of the paper cups as she cradled her cup of coffee protectively, its liquid contents sloshing about.

Adora stood there frozen in place for a beat. This was why she never made a move on girls she liked, she’d literally be tripping over herself to impress them. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. Wanting to apologize (and explain herself), she whipped her head around, only to see the girl’s face up close. Here, she noticed the winged eyeliner drawn to perfection, and the freckles that dotted her cheeks — uncharacteristic of her bad girl get-up, but it made her look cute.

Like, _really_ cute.

“I…” she squeaked.

The girl merely raised an eyebrow at her before she stalked off, the doorbell chiming as she left the shop.

Adora’s eyes lingered at the door for a few moments. She messed up. Adora inwardly cursed these stupid paper cups and her stupid self for thinking she could’ve ever pulled that off. Her arms hung limply at her sides. Now the girl probably thought she was a weirdo and Adora was never going to see her again. 

A long, drawn-out “wow” interrupted her thoughts. She directed a glare at Glimmer, who was offering her a sympathetic smile. Oh right. Because that whole mess happened in front of her friends. 

Tonight was decidedly not her night.

* * *

The three of them got settled into Adora’s car, with Glimmer riding shotgun and Bow in the rear. As Adora pulled her seatbelt down, Glimmer and Bow shared a glance before she turned towards her and smiled apprehensively. “Hey, that could’ve gone worse.”

Adora gripped the steering wheel tighter in response. “Glimmer, seatbelt.”

The shorter girl knitted her brows in a frown before she pulled the strap across and clicked it in place. Wanting a change in subject, Adora reached for the car radio and played music from a random rock channel. “Now let’s go have the night of our lives!” She turned out of the parking lot and drove down the main road. 

A few minutes passed as they rode in silence. Glimmer was scrolling through Instagram, Bow was probably deep in thought over something (he usually talked a mile a minute), and Adora was keeping her gaze fixed on the road ahead. She hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the ride — she didn’t want to talk about whatever happened back there and hoped that the others would do the same. 

Unfortunately, those dreams of hers were shattered when Bow piped up from the back, “Okay nobody’s gonna say it? Adora, you were totally making heart eyes at her. Glimmer noticed, I noticed, we all noticed.”

Adora’s thoughtful expression quickly morphed into one of horror. Nevermind the fact that she messed up big time, now that he revealed her interest in the girl it made things ten times more embarrassing. This was as good as blatantly stating that she got rejected.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Glimmer stopped scrolling and was staring ahead, bug-eyed. The purple-haired girl gasped. “Oh… my god.”

Adora inhaled sharply. This was not gonna be fun.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed, running both hands through her hair, “That’s why you were acting all weird and everything!”

She groaned. To be fair, this was her first time making a move on a girl, more so a really hot and cute one. Obviously there was no way she would’ve been all _cha cha smooth_ about it. In fact, both of them could cut her some slack — she did something other than longingly stare at her. “Look, you weren’t there by the cups. I could’ve talked to her, the timing was just wrong.”

During all this, Bow decided that he’d done enough damage and sat back whilst eating his chips. As he crunched on one, some movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention causing him to look out the window. No friggin’ way. He stared wide-eyed as a familiar figure in a black biker jacket pulled up next to the car. He quickly swallowed the remains of his chip and leaned forward. The universe must have taken pity on Adora or something because-

“It’s the girl! She’s driving right next to us!”

Adora immediately clammed up at his words. She broke out into a sweat and glanced sideways out the car window. There she was, with a maroon biker’s helmet clasped over her head and her mane of hair flapping in the wind. How can someone look good wearing a helmet? More importantly, why do these things keep happening to her?

“No way!”Glimmer squealed.

“You’ve got another chance!”

“Yeah, do something!”

Adora felt her palms get clammy. “Like what? Flash my lights? Honk at her?”

“Just shoot her a look!”

Adora began turning towards the window, before Glimmer exclaimed, “Wait! Not yet!”

She snapped her eyes back to the road and grimaced. God, if this goes badly she might just crash the car, passengers be damned.

“Okay, okay. You can look… Now!”

Adora swiveled her head towards the girl. In the dark night, her lidded eyes seemed to glow. A smile dangled on the corner of her lips, and Adora’s blush burned through her cheeks. The girl refocused her attention on the road. Her eyes flashed with resolve and she sped up, barely passing the traffic light before it turned red. Adora gasped as she stomped on the brakes and brought the car to a halt. She watched as she drove off into the night, until her figure became nothing more than a dot against the horizon. 

Glimmer sat back in her seat. “Ooh, there she goes.”

Her mind was racing with thoughts of the girl. What the hell just happened? She blinked multiple times before finally gaining her bearings, and she realized one thing. She was left in the dust.

“Hey…” Bow shot her a reassuring look, “maybe she’s going to the same show as us.”

“I don’t know,” the other passenger turned around in her seat to face him, “a girl that cool probably knows about a billion shows going on tonight.” 

Adora wilted in her seat. At that moment, it hit her that she was actually never going to see her again. She had a second chance and the stupid timing blew it. She’d never know her name, never learn more about her, never get to actually talk to her. All she’d ever be was a stranger. Mystery girl. Adora looked up at the traffic light, its taunting red glowing in the dark. 

She remembered her mismatched eyes and how they sparkled with mischief. There was something about her gaze that sent a shiver down Adora’s spine, that made her breath hitch. She’d never felt that way before, and she wanted to chase that feeling. She had to know who she was. Staring down the traffic light, her face hardened into a determined frown as she made a decision. She was done playing by the rules.

As the song rose in volume, Adora swiftly shifted gears and stomped down on the gas pedal. With a squeal of tires, they began to tear down the long stretch of road. Bow cried out in protest from the back, while Glimmer broke out into nervous laughter before cheering her on. 

He leaned forward in his seat. “What are you doing, the light was red!”

Adora smirked. “I know.”

As they rounded a corner on the highway, they caught sight of the flapping of taupe hair. Glimmer leaned forward in excitement. “There she is!” Adora’s eyes widened momentarily before she broke out in a triumphant smile. She did it — she managed to catch up to her. And now, she had another chance.

Bow gripped Adora’s seat and pulled himself forward. “What’s your plan?”

“New Adora, no plan.”

He sighed. “No kidding…”

The sudden blare of sirens sounded from behind them, drawing panicked gasps from the three of them. As red and blue lights spilled into the car, Bow peered through the back window, before turning back around. “The police want us!”

The girls yelped in fear. Adora’s eyes darted towards the rearview mirror and met Bow’s ones. “What do we do?”

“You have to pull over to the side and show them your license.”

While keeping a hand on the steering wheel, Adora felt around in her pockets before dread dropped in her stomach. “I don’t have my license.”

Glimmer stared at her, wild-eyed. “What?”

Bow balked at her, saying, “But- But you always have it on you!”

“My wallet’s not with me! I must’ve left it at the store!”

“Then what do we do? The police will send us to the station!”

Glimmer’s hands tightened around the seatbelt as her breathing quickened. “Oh my god, Mom’s gonna kill me if she finds out about this.”

Adora looked at her friends, faces askew with panic and worry. This was all her fault. She got them into this mess and now they had to face the consequences. She shook her thoughts aside. This wasn’t the time to dwell in self-pity. Right now she had to get them out of here — a trip to the police station sounded messy, and she did not want to face an angry Angella. She’d deal with said thoughts later.

Stomping on the gas pedal, Glimmer and Bow yelled as they were thrown against their seats. They sped off, zooming past the girl. Adora glanced at the side mirror, smiling to herself when she caught a glimpse of her before she disappeared from view. Her hold on the steering wheel loosened, and Adora's face fell. She wished things were different. She wished she could stay. Hoping to drown out her thoughts, she cranked up the volume of the radio, and Glimmer let out an exhilarated scream. 

Bow, while pressed into the back seat, spoke, “Adora, you can’t just drive away — this is serious!”

Glimmer turned towards her with an awe-struck stare. “Adora, you’re a total bada-”

The tires screeched as Adora yanked the steering wheel to the right. “This is why we buckle up.” They drifted around a corner and were going straight towards a hill. “Hold on!”

With pounding hearts, they sped up the hill. Glimmer and Bow gripped their seats as they continued climbing, their faces tight with anxiety. As the song came to a climax, Adora narrowed her eyes and broke out into a devilish smirk. They reached the summit of the hill and soared…

Before landing heavily and tearing down the other side, the cops hot on their tail. Glimmer pumped her hands in the air and cheered, as Bow let out a tiny squeak from the back. 

They peeled away from the highway and were back on the open road. Adora’s eyes lit up at the welcome sign up ahead. Pressing the clutch, she lifted the emergency brake and spun the car around to park behind the huge sign. She shushed the other two and switched the engine off. They remained still in the darkness a the wail of police sirens passed by them, before fading away in the distance.

Glimmer leaned forward to peer out through the front window. “Are they gone?”

“I think so,” Adora said.

A collective sigh of relief filled the car. Adora made a quick call to the convenience store and got told by an employee that they had her wallet, and she could retrieve it tomorrow. She let out a shaky laugh before she profusely apologized and thanked them. The party of three settled back in their seats, preparing to continue on their journey. Adora turned the key to start the car when she heard a low cranking noise emitting from the engine. A bead of perspiration rolled down her head as she tried again, willing the engine to come to life, but to no avail. She cursed under her breath.

Bow knitted his brows in a frown and spoke up from the back. “What is it?”

“We’re out of gas.”

Glimmer gave her a bug-eyed stare. “What?”

“Wait,” Bow said, fishing his phone out of his pocket, “I’ll find a gas station.” He pulled up a GPS and began typing. Hopefully, this night was salvageable. Pressing enter, he scanned the results before his face fell. “Looks like the closest one is… 20 miles away…”

Glimmer groaned and buried her head in her hands.

* * *

The pale glow of the moon shone down on them as they plodded along the roadside. Adora fixed her gaze on her feet, kicking the occasional stone out of the way. If she hadn’t said anything, none of them would be here right now — walking to a gas station because her stupid antics just stranded them in the middle of nowhere. She wasn’t cut out for this. She wasn’t cut out for rock shows or pretty girls who were out of her league. She endangered her friends, nearly got them arrested, and ruined their night. God, they must hate her right now. That’d be understandable.

Adora stopped walking. “I can’t believe this.”

Bow and Glimmer turned around.

“I was so ready! I really wanted to see the show.”

Bow furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

Adora began to peel off her jacket. “I was going to drink some juice, and talk to new people — actually socialize and you’d say, ‘Wow, Adora’s really cool!’ But no… instead, we drove to loud music, chased a mysterious woman into the night and broke the law.” She tossed the jacket onto the ground and sank down. “I lost my edge. I should’ve stayed home with the puzzle.”

Bow and Glimmer glanced at each other before they looked back at Adora. “Listen to yourself,” the latter said, “you’re so hardcore! Who cares about juice? You ran from the cops!”

He gave Adora a nervous smile. “That’s the most scared I’ve been ever since Glimmer got hospitalized for eating glitter when she was five!”

Adora did a double-take. “She did what?”

“I was a stupid kid.” Glimmer shot him a look of warning, before she smacked his arm and chuckled.

As she watched her friends, a small smile surfaced on Adora’s lips, and she felt lighter. Glimmer was right. She was a total badass, and she didn’t have to prove that to anyone. She was cool enough. She was good enough. 

“Okay,” she grabbed the jacket, got up and dusted herself off, “now you have to tell me that story.”

Bow suddenly perked up and turned towards the road. “Wait, do you hear that?”

He approached a tiny path in between some bushes and walked through it, with the girls trailing behind him. They emerged into a clearing and he pumped his fist into the air. “We made it!” 

In front of them stood a house with bright lights streaming out of the garage. Groups of people were scattered across the lawn and the driveway, holding conversations between sips of beer. A crowd of people huddled around the garage entrance, singing along to the rock music that echoed into the night. The electric guitar made Adora’s skin tingle, filling her head to toe with music. She decided that she liked that song. Over the roar of music, a distant, hazy chatter could be heard.

As they took in their surroundings, Bow gasped and pointed ahead. “And there’s the girl! She’s actually here!” The girl was sitting on the railing of the porch, the glow of her phone screen illuminating her face. Adora stared at her with cow eyes.

“No way…” Glimmer breathed. Adora’s thoughts exactly. She thought this night was going to be uneventful, and they would just go home disappointed. She couldn’t believe her luck. Sappho was truly looking out for her tonight because out of the many places the girl could’ve been, she was here. And if that wasn’t a sign that Adora just had to talk to her, she didn’t know what was. “I’m going to talk to her.”

Glimmer grimaced. “Look Adora, I already think you’re cool. You can ease into the whole socializing with strangers thing.”

Adora faced her friend, whose face was contorted into one of worry. She knew Glimmer was just looking out for her. Logically speaking, after the events that transpired today, maybe she should ease up a bit. She looked back at the girl, who was now texting someone. It didn’t make sense. They’ve never met before, never spoken to each other before (that failure at the convenience store did not count) and yet, Adora felt this pull towards her. She’d popped up too many times in one night for Adora to ignore. Plus, she outran the freaking cops for her! She had to go talk to her.

She dusted the jacket off before passing it to Glimmer. “Hold this for me?” 

Glimmer took it, before her eyes widened. She watched Adora roll her shoulders back and march off. “Wait no! You can start smaller! Talk to a nerd!”

Bow shot her a look of disapproval. “Glimmer!”

The two of them watched as Adora approached the girl and stuck her hand out. Glimmer winced. “She’s starting with a handshake?” The biker flicked her gaze up from her phone, and cruised her eyes up and down Adora’s figure with a deadpan expression. Bow and Glimmer gritted their teeth. 

The girl raised an eyebrow, broke out into a lazy smirk, and shook Adora’s hand. Bow’s eyes widened. “Oh, she went for it.”

Adora grinned back at her and leaned sideways against the porch railing. 

Bow gasped. “They’re both smiling!” 

“I can’t believe this,” Glimmer sighed, as she watched her friend. “What is Adora saying?”

“I don’t know, but the girl’s laughing.”

“You think she’s laughing at her, or with her?”

“Hard to tell…”

Glimmer stiffened and shushed him. “She’s coming back.”

The two of them jogged towards Adora, who strolled towards them in a dreamlike stupor. Bow looked at her in excitement. “How’d it go?” 

Adora thought back on how she introduced herself as the girl who ran from the cops, the teasing that followed, and the half-serious stalker questions. She asked her about her jacket (it was thrifted), learned that they were the same age, and apparently, she used to enroll at Horde High.

Adora went slack-mouthed. “No way… I used to go there too.”

She cocked her head. “What happened?”

“I transferred to another school in my last year.”

She sat there, staring at Adora as if she were assessing her, before looking out into the night sky. “Too bad,” she cast her a sideways glance and smiled, “it would’ve been nice to have a pretty face around.”

They could’ve been the best of friends, could’ve supported each other through the stuff that went down there. Maybe in a different lifetime they’d be inseparable. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t start working towards that now.

In the end, she only told them about the first part.

Glimmer drew in a breath. “And… how’d that go over?”

Heat rose to her cheeks as she unlocked her phone screen and held it out for them to see. A contacts page shone with the name Catra and the number that followed. “She gave me her Instagram too.”

The other two looked from the screen to her face and back down again. A toothy grin spread across Bow’s face and Glimmer chuckled in disbelief while running her hands through her hair. “Hold up, you went from being a walking disaster to getting a girl’s number like it was nothing? Adora, you’re a total rock star!”

Adora looked down at her screen and smiled to herself. 

Tonight was her night.

**Author's Note:**

> Starring Adora as Repressed Nerd  
> Glimmer as Ultimate Wingman  
> Bow as Voice of Reason  
> And Catra as Herself
> 
> Thank you Noelle Stevenson and spop crew for everything.  
> PS would anyone wanna read a short sequel chapter that focuses more on Adora and Catra's conversation? Leave a comment if you do!


End file.
